


Marital Obligations

by Perpetual Motion (perpetfic)



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-06
Updated: 2012-11-06
Packaged: 2017-11-18 02:40:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/555972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perpetfic/pseuds/Perpetual%20Motion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They've been married a week, so of course Clint gets injured.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Marital Obligations

“Wait. What?” Clint asks because he’s certain he’s misheard Fury.

“Go away,” Fury repeats, “and stay away for at least 24 hours. If either you or Coulson comes back before then, I will kneecap you both.”

“Why both?” Clint asks, but Coulson is already saying, ‘Yes, Sir,’ and ‘Thanks, Nick,’ and pulling Clint from the room by the back of his still-warm uniform.

“I don’t understand—”

“You were on fire an hour ago. If you can’t figure out why Fury is giving us both a day off, I can’t help you,” Phil says as he drags Clint down the hall.

“It’s not like I haven’t been on fire before,” Clint says.

Phil knows. There’s a small, shiny burn scar just above the small of Clint’s back, courtesy of a mis-built flaming arrow that went off in his quiver. There’s one on the back of his neck, under the collar of his uniform from a roof caving in on him when he was on an op once. There are cigarette burn marks—old and faded, showing their age by being nearly invisible—that Phil’s never asked about but can easily guess the story.

“It’s not like I haven’t been on fire with you in charge before,” Clint adds when Phil doesn’t say anything. Phil knows Clint is reading the tension in his neck and shoulders and wondering what’s wrong. There’s really nothing out of the ordinary about what’s happened today—another day, another near-death moment—but it’s different now. It’s very different.

They’re married now. For all of week, and Clint’s managed to catch himself  _on fire_.

“Hey,” Clint says. He grabs Phil’s arm and yanks him into an empty office. He shuts the door behind them, grabs Phil by the shoulders, and kisses him until they’re both breathless. All Phil can smell is smoke and scorched cloth, and he grabs at Clint, fingers tracking through the soot on Clint’s arms as he pushes Clint against the door and kisses him until Clint pulls away to cough in a deep rasp.

“You should be in medical,” Phil says.

“No,” Clint says between coughs. “They cleared me to go home.”

“What?” Phil asks.

Clint finishes coughing as he reaches into one of the pockets on his pants and pulls out an off-white piece of paper that Phil recognizes instantly. It’s a medical discharge form. Something Phil is certain Clint has never, ever had when he’s left medical. It’s signed by the head doctor on shift, and there’s a short note under her name.

_Yes, really. We’re all shocked._

“We’re married now,” Clint says. His face is still flushed from his coughing fit, but there’s a fresh blush coming up under it. “I figured maybe I should try and stick around for awhile, you know? Since we’re stuck now.”

“Stuck,” Phil says. He brushes his thumbs against Clint’s cheekbones, soot coming off in streaks. 

“Stuck,” Clint agrees. “And a whole day off.”

“I’m taking you home, and we’re going to bed, and neither of us are waking up before noon,” Phil says. “And then we’re going to sit on the balcony and have coffee and pretend like we’re actually having a honeymoon.”

“Yes,” Clint says. “I agree to all your terms.”

“You’re stuck with me either way,” Phil says, and he keeps his hand against Clint’s neck as they leave base.

 


End file.
